26Dec 2009 by R&O No Comments

My Kanadian Kindle

Of Interest, Technology
As I had hoped in a previous post, Santa did indeed deliver a shiny new international Amazon Kindle 2 under the tree this year and I'm loving it. I didn't really expect to receive one as I'd made rumblings past the typical cutoff for official hints but, due to Amazon's amazing 3 day delivery guarantee, it was delivered in time for Christmas. Ya gotta love santa! My first impression was the obvious quality of the unit, attention to detail and overall usability. All are top notch and the unit even sports two small speakers (for the text-to-speech option) and a brushed steel plate on the back. Setup was fast and easy (assuming you already have an Amazon account) and I purchased my first book, The Road by Cormac Mccarthy, in…
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21Dec 2009 by R&O No Comments

A KGB Christmas

Of Interest, Politics, Rants
So Vancouver's own ex-KGB agent Mikhail Lennikov has found himself on the front page of today's Province newspaper. Nice work Mikey. Perhaps our hapless bureaucrats will finally give in and let you stay even though you were once a member of The Soviet Union's Commitee for State Security, the same fun-loving guys that were responsible for the torture and deaths of countless perceived Soviet 'dissidents'. Yeah, that's the guy I want living next door or working in my office. I mentioned the story of Mikhail Lennikov back in June and it looks like his people are ramping up the coverage just in time for Christmas. The people that make decisions about people like Mr. Lennikov are more likely to decide in his favour if it's Christmas, right? Unfortunately, that may…
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17Dec 2009 by R&O No Comments

Muscular Mom

Of Interest, People
The following post is weird, disturbing and creepy. Enjoy! From today's Digital Journal: Elizabeth Poblete, a 22-year-old weightlifter from Chile who competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has given birth during a training session in Brazil, having been oblivious of the fact that she was pregnant. Ms Poblete was training at a gym in Brazil's largest city Sao Paolo on December 8, when she began to feel unwell. Unaware that she was expecting a baby Ms Poblete, understandably shocked at discovering her condition, proceeded to give birth to a son United Press International says she has called Eric Joseph, although another report calls the young boy Eric Jose. According to the BBC Eric Joseph, born three months premature, weighed in at 2.25lbs (1.2kg) and measured 14 inches (34cm). Yes folks,…
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17Dec 2009 by R&O No Comments

Beautiful Bill

Of Interest, People, Politics
He's back in the spotlight and enjoying the support of a majority of B.C. taxpayers. Yes, Bill Vander Zalm is shining pretty these days as he rallies his troops to fight the dastardly HST. Who would have thought that the man of questionable business ethics, a documented distaste for the media (remember the 'fly' editorial cartoon lawsuit?) and a guy that would promise cheap beer or anything else to get elected, would have the love of British Columbia taxpayers washing over his expensive suit in 2009? He's a new guy and he's on a mission. I should mention that I always thought Mr. Vander Zalm was a bit of a weenie but enjoyed his encounter with demonstrating deadbeats and his over-the-top challenge for them to do some real work by…
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